Terraria: The Hallowed Year (on hold until further notice)
by GodofGamingRWBY
Summary: With the Moon Lord's defeat, humanity seemed boundless in it's possibilities. Led by the slayer of the Moon Lord himself, the city of Yamato grew into a jewel of the world, seeming to have everything under control. But somethings, considered locked up, harmless, and forgotten, have a way of springing up again, and can be even more dangerous than an Eldritch Abomination.
1. Chapter 1: Foreboding

Years have past since the Moon Lord, an Eldritch Abomination seemingly bent on bringing humanity to utter extinction, was killed. Nested in the large, lush lands of the Lunar Eclipse, named due to the apparent battle sight of the Moon Lord, lies Yamato, the City of Man.

Yamato, on first sight, isn't that impressive. On the surface, very little buildings actually stand. Surrounded by a dense, hilly landscape by 3 sides, and a lake on the other, Yamato has little breathing space. On the surface, centered in the middle of the hills, lies three large buildings. Two of these buildings are nearly identical, being very large, though only about two stories. One is the General District, where merchants take up residence and are able to sell their goods to people. The other, situated near the lake, is the Guild base for the Sea-rons, who are famous for slaying Duke Fishron and beginning human colonization.

Situated about a mile away from the majority of the city, on the other hand, was a large hill known as "Stardust Hill", where one of the Lunar Pillars were created. Inside the hill, almost like a "hobbit hole", was the Mayor's home, which is where very few have actually been inside. On the top, the Watchtower stands higher than the rest of the city, it's base built from strange, colorful stones while the rest of the tower was built from wood.

Even with it's small appearance, Yamato is still the largest human city of all with the inclusion of their "Elevator". The Elevator is build in the dead center of the city, being a small, wooden building with 1 door and very few windows. Inside, however, is where Humanity's early engineering takes fruit, with a large, wooden platform operated with rope and a small lever.

WIth a single pull from the Attendant, the person selected to operate the Elevator, the elevator can ascend and descent fairly quickly.

As you've probably guessed, Yamato is mainly built underground. And under said ground, the city is divided into many different underground caverns regularly patrolled by guards. Most of the most visited areas include the Great Library, run by the guild "Planterian Acolytes", the Residential District for those who wish to live a simple life, the Fairgrounds, and the Blacksmith.

Far below the more calm areas of Yamato lie more… Threatening places. The key example is the Guild Hall, where guild members live and meet for their tasks. Further below that is the Hell Jumper's rest area, who are in charge of taking care of anything that tries to get up to the surface from Hell, and to keep continuous care of Fort Harbinger, which was built right into Hell.

On the other side of the rest are is a large hallway which was broken down long ago. Currently, only the Hallowed Knights, a small group of people who are known to be the most skilled warriors in Yamato, go through it.

But, enough about Yamato's layout.

…

 _December 14th, XXXX A.M.L._

 _Star Dust Hill._

" _The day was fairly calm, considering the hurricane that appeared out of the blue. It was strong, but Yamato fared worse. Watchtower may need some repair, though I attribute that to the zombie horde that managed to breach the outer walls._

 _Didn't need to get my hands dirty though, thanks to the Hallowed Knights. Those stones are too valuable to be destroyed._

 _Still, to this day, I wonder…"_

Suddenly, a door knocked, stopping whoever was mumbling to himself. In a rather large room filled with weapon displays and hanged trophies of different… Creatures, a man stood. They wore a very simple set of clothing, though it seeme more Medieval in design, and was mainly crimson colored. They had dark red hair, with one bright blue eye and one blood red one, and a white complexion. The man also wore a black cape, although it only covered his right arm instead of his back.

Setting down a small, leather-bound book, the man quickly moved to the door, not even checking to see who was there. When he opened it, another man walked in, nearly a head taller than the previous one, who was wearing a full suit of black armor with a long, red cape floating in the wind behind him. Their head was covered with another black helmet, "Mayor, I have news." They said roughly, taking a few steps into the room before turning to the man who opened the door.

In response, the Mayor slammed the door shut, checking the large clock that kept ticking on the other side of the room, "11:38 at night. Strange timing. What is it Necron?" He asked, moving away from the door as the other man took his helmet off.

Necron's hair was completely different to his armor, being Electric blue, and bright blue eyes. However, his face wasn't entirely clean, as a large scar passed through his left eye and mouth, "Something really, really bad." Necron said simply, placing his helmet on a table nearby.

The Mayor sighed in response, "God…. Necron, don't bother trying to be cryptic. Did something happen to Amaya? Or are you getting annoyed by the Hallowed Knights?" He asked once more, sitting back down in his previous wooden chair.

A few seconds passed before Necron spoke again, "Corp is dead."

After that, the silence turned into minutes as the Mayor just stared at Necron. Eventually, he spoke once more, "Corp…. Hard to believe. He was one of your friends who survived that… Er… Incident, in the Dungeons." He stated, shaking his head, "You were both very strong and skilled, but Corp was on a whole different level. How could he have died?" The Mayor asked, looking at Necron, who had turned away from him.

"I… Something happened, back in Fort Harbinger." Necron began, looking out the dark windows, "It was a routine run. Me and Corp were with two other recruits from the Hell Jumpers. We were showing them the ropes, metaphorically, on how Fort Harbinger was run, when we heard a roar from the outside, along with some shouts from our men. Me and Corp ran out of Fort Harbinger and…" Necron paused, taking in a breath, "We saw some tentacles GRAB one of the Hell Jumpers out of the lava, and pull him in. It was mortifying." He continued, shivering at the thought, "Then it came up. If I had not been in the Dungeon for all those years, I would've drowned myself in that lava. It was like a large worm, only it had lava-like tentacles sprouting from its rotting, burning skin. And it roars, it sounded like it was… Screaming in pain." Necron continued, placing an armored hand on his forehead.

The Mayor, on the other hand, leaned forward, "What happened to Corp then?" He asked bluntly.

In response, Necron finally looked back at the Mayor, "Corp told me to get the rest of the recruits and get out. Then he turned and drew his sword, charging the creature. I didn't see what happened, I was getting into the Fort, but the sounds of battle abruptly cut off." Necron explained, sighing, "I went out and saw the creature's dead corpse bleeding on the ground. We've already fished it out of the lava and contained it for the Acolyte's dissection, but Corp…" Mid-sentence Necron chocked, "We didn't find him. He was nowhere. All that we could find of him was…" Necron paused, reaching behind his cloak and bringing out a large object wrapped in thick, brown fabric. Then, he unwrapped it.

When the fabric fell off, the dark room immediately shone with bright, warm light. In Necron's hands was a large, bright orange spear, expelling a vast amount of light.

At the sight, the Mayor took in a breath, "Daybreak… My personal gift to Corp…" He whispered as Necron re-wrapped the spear, the light that filled the room abruptly blinking out.

"We found it impaled in the ground a few feet from the creature's corpse." Necron explained, placing Daybreak on the table a few feet away from him, "I sent some of the more experienced Hell Jumpers out searching for him, but we still haven't found him." He added, placing his head in his hands.

A few, silent seconds passed before the Mayor stood, walking towards the windows without looking at Hell Jumper, "Necron. Go back to the guild and leave Daybreak here." The Mayor began, causing Necron to look up at him, "Get the Hell Jumpers ready by sunrise. I will send a message to the Hallowed Knights and get them prepared." He added.

The sudden orders made Necron raise an eyebrow as he picked his helmet back up and placed it on his head, "Prepared for what?" He asked.

In response, the Mayor turned around, staring Necron in the eye without any hint of his normal kindness or humor, "Simple. We're going to figure out what that creature is and how it was able to kill one of the best warriors we've ever seen."

 **Author's note: Hello, I'm GodofGamingRWBY, author of the Hallowed Year. I wanted to quickly state that, as this is my first thing ever posted on , I expect it to be a bit "lackluster" in terms of quality. Therefor, I expect, and welcome, and sort of suggestions/criticism that could help me improve my writing.**

 **Thank you.** ** _Ciao_**


	2. Chapter 2: Guild Masters

It took nearly 4 hours to get everyone together. After a small debate, the Mayor had decided to include the other Guilds into the mystery. So, Necron headed out to gather the guild masters, while the Mayor sent a message to the Planterian Acolytes, which was the main cause for the 4 hour wait time.

Now, after those 4 hours, the Mayor's living room had turned into a full on meeting, with 4 out of the 5 Guild Masters sitting around a brightly lit fireplace, with the Mayor standing in the middle.

The first Guild Master, sitting directly in the middle of the circle, was Necron Vi Reinhertz, leader of the Hell Jumper guild. Necron himself was a surprisingly tall man, even when sitting down, and was barely an inch taller than the Mayor. As of now, the light from the fireplace, along with his full set of black armor, Necro Armor, made Necron look terrifying, ready to kill someone/something. Which perfectly mirrored his mood on the situation.

Sitting at on the Mayor's couch, moved over for the meeting, was the twin brothers of the Searon guild and the Desert Hunter guild, Amelio Haycock and Francis Haycock. Both of them looked very similar, with shaven heads, tanish skin, and a full set of leather armor. The differences was in their colors and personalities. Amelio was the Desert Hunter's Guild Master, and therefore, his armor was mainly white and yellow. Years of enduring the harsh lands outside of Yamato made him much more gruff and silent, preferring to only speak of business and as little as possible. His brother, on the other hand, was nearly opposite, with dark blue armor and a white goatee beginning to form on his face. Years of traveling the vast sea as the Guild Master of the Searons, including being the man to deal the final blow to "Duke Fishron", Francis had a much more positive personality, happily recounting his tales at the mast and somehow bringing a smile on everyone's (minus Amelio) face.

Then, sitting to the side, was the Hallowed Knight's guild master, Amaya Vi Reinhertz, the younger sister to Necron. In the same room, one could barely tell the two were siblings. Amaya was a head shorter than Necron, and unlike Necron's blue hair, Amaya had long, pitch black hair that had a portion of her bangs dyed with white. And unlike Necron, who wore specialized armor, Amaya wore her guild's standard set, a set of grey armor with yellow highlights, Hallowed Armor.

As of now, the 5 souls in the room were waiting for the 6th. But even then, that didn't stop the arguments from popping up.

"Are you trying to say that I'm incompetent?!" Necron shouted, nearly jumping out of his chair and lashing out at Amelio, who sat, grim faced, on the couch next to his brother.

"I'm not saying that you're incompetent," Amelio replied calmly, "I merely said that there has to be some sort of problem with the Hell Jumpers if something like this happened. Were it my guild, I would've sent in Riders out to have dealt with the Worm." He added, folding his arms.

This action caused Necron to finally stand up from his chair, "You weren't there. Didn't you hear what I said earlier?! It was snatching up Hell Jumper after Hell Jumper and dragging them into the lava. Just because you operate in the Northern Expanse doesn't mean you can easily operate in Hell. My men and women train constantly to handle the environment down there!" Necron explained.

Amelio remained impassive, "You've obviously not trained enough." He countered, causing Necron's hand to fly to his sword hilt.

This action caused Francis to jump in, "Hey, hey hey hey, no one needs to kill each other here, we're guild masters, right? Shouldn't you guys be, you know, working together and not arguing about who's fault it is?" Francis asked, only to be completely ignored by both Necron and Amelio,

"You try to run Fort Harbinger for a week, see how long you last down there." Necron growled, taking a half step forward to Amelio.

"Enough!"

The sudden yell from the Mayor snapped everyone in the room to attention, quieting both Necron and Amelio.

"I didn't organise this meeting so you could argue about who's fault this casualty is, and I'm not going to risk the safety of Yamato so you two can settle a childish dispute about who can run what." The Mayor said, staring at the two who were arguing just seconds prior, "Francis is correct," He added, his voice now lowering to it's normal level, yet retaining the edge of anger, "Instead of pinning the blame on each other, particularly the Hell Jumpers, we need to focus on what in the hell killed them." The Mayor explained, looking directly at Amelio, "What the Hell Jumpers faced was something they've never prepared for. Something we have had no knowledge about. You're guild would have equally a difficult time facing something you didn't know without suffering casualties." He stated, causing Amelio to narrow his eyes and open his mouth to speak.

However, before he could, the door was suddenly blown open, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Then, a form quickly stepped inside, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Gracelyn" the Mayor said, turning his body to face the newcomer, "You're late."

Gracelyn didn't reply, unless exhausted gasps counted as a reply. In appearance, Gracelyn was a tall, surprisingly young woman wearing a large, green robe with brown, flared tips. Underneath, concealed by the robe, she wore a more casual set of clothing, usually consisting of a plain t-shirt and jeans. Along with with the large glasses, freckled face, and short, light brown hair, Gracelyn had an… Unorthodox way of dressing when compared to the other Guild Masters in the room.

After a few seconds of catching her breath, Gracelyn finally straightened, still letting out slight pants, "Sorry, I tried to hurry here after I realized that the meeting already started. The creature you sent us for the dissection was addicting, so much so that I lost track of-" Gracelyn rambled, only to pause when Necron whirled around,

"Dissections?!" Necron yelled, glaring at the Mayor, "You didn't tell me that you were going to let the Acolytes dissect the thing! If anything it should've just been recorded as some… Some sort of genetic mutation or some bullshit that they like to do, and then forgotten!" Necron yelled.

The Mayor, on the other hand, sighed, turning to Necron, "That would be acting as if nothing happened. Which I can assure you that something did happen. As much as I understand your volatile state, don't use it as a reason to deny the mystery of Corp's death it's conclusion." He replied, causing a long silence in the room once he said Corp's name. After what seemed like an eternity of the two staring at each other, Necron finally backed down, reluctantly sitting back into his chair.

With that, Gracelyn spoke up again, "Anyway, We've found some interesting things about this creature with the limited time you've given us." Gracelyn started, walking over to the table and setting down a large, brown book onto the surface, then she opened it.

What was on the page that Gracelyn turned to was two sketches. One was a sketch of a large… Worm outline, with several large tentacles laying off to the sides. The other was a simple black mass of of pencil led, and all around both sketches were countless small notes.

After making sure everyone in the room was looking at the page, Gracelyn began to explain, "What we have here seems to be part of the same family tree as the Bone Serpent, sharing a lot of similarities. We've come to calling it the Lava Kraken, not that great of a name yet, but it fits. Anyway, focusing on the creature itself, we've noted that the Lava Kraken appears to be forming a sort of armor plating around it's hide, which I should mention is very soft. Either it had recently molted it's last armor, or this Lava Kraken was a child-" Gracelyn stated, causing Necron to grip the arm of his chair tightly. Thankfully, he didn't say anything.

"What's the most interesting was what we've found when we cut it open. I had intended to show you a sketch of what we've found, buuut…" Gracelyn paused, placing a hand into her pocket, "It wouldn't be the same as showing you".

With that, Gracelyn produced an object from her robe pocket, placing it gently onto the table. With it out of her hand, everyone could see what it was.

A large mass of black, seeming to vibrate with the air around it.

"This right here was what consisted of the internal anatomy of the Lava Kraken. Literally, all of it, organs, blood, brain, everything. Strange on it's own, but look at this," Gracelyn explained, then put her hand over the mass, watching as it suddenly glowed a bright, violet shade when her hand neared. Then she pulled it away, the mass quickly darkening to it's normal color, "When a living creature approaches it, the mass glows. And, from my earlier dissections, this mass is found in other creatures, specifically creatures from the-"

Suddenly, Amaya straightened, her face breaking it's normal, blank appearance with a look of absolute concern, "The Hallowed." Amaya interrupted, standing out of her seat.

Before anyone could do anything else, the Mayor spoke, "So the Lava Kraken has a similar anatomy as a Hallowed Creature. Normally, I would laugh this off as a sort of prank." The Mayor said, then paused, "Actually, I wouldn't laugh it off." He corrected, then produced two, white envelopes from his own pocket, "And with the current problems with other colonies, this already proves a huge problem." The Mayor added, placing both envelopes on the table.

It only took a second for the Mayor to continue, "These are reports sent from both Ramii and Mar de Deus, which arrived two hours ago." The Mayor explained, placing hand on both of them.

At the mention of the two names, Necron shook his head, "Rammi and Mar de Deus, all so high and mighty, thinking they're so fantastic just for being connected to Yamato." He muttered.

Without acknowledging Necron's comment, the Mayor continued, "I took the liberty of looking at the reports. Each letter said the same thing, 'We have a situation here that we cannot fix on our own. Because of this, we request that you come personally to assist us in this matter'." The Mayor recounted, not even taking the actual reports out, "Already, this doesn't bode well. The two colonies are well equipped to handle many different problems, yet they've requested that I come personally. Which either means that they actually do have a problem that requires my assistance…"

"Or they're trying to seize power by laying a trap for you." Amelio finished leaning forward, a murderous look in his eyes.

The Mayor nodded, "Ramii and Mar de Deus would be the most unlikely candidates for betrayal, despite their recent confidence. But, there's too much for me to keep track of as it stands." The Mayor admitted, staring into the fireplace for a full 10 seconds.

Then, he nodded to himself, looking back to the Guild Masters, "But, there is something I can do." He stated,

"First problem to solve is the reports from Ramii and Mar de Deus. Necron, Amaya, Gracelyn, and Amelio. To solve Ramii's report, I require you all to send your best Guild Members to the Watchtower in, at minimum, an hour." The Mayor explained, then quickly added, "And don't expect to see them back in the Guilds in, at most, a week."

It was the final addition that made Necron raise his eyebrows, realizing what he meant, "So your sending regular Guild members to do Mayor work? And why isn't the Searon guild having to send one of their men to go to Ramii?" Necron asked.

"I'll explain why the Searon guild isn't sending anyone in a bit. As for why I'm sending others to answer Ramii's call, the simple answer is that what's going on in Yamato takes higher priority than the other cities. And since I can't be at three places at once, and with no idea how long solving Corp's death will take, I have to send others in my steed." The Mayor answered, "And with a well rounded group from different guilds working together, they should be able to solve Ramii's problem." He added.

Then, the Mayor turned to Francis, "As for the Searon guild, you'll be personally going to Ramii to answer their report." The Mayor stated, watching as Francis nodded thoughtfully,

"The sea this time of year will be harsh. It'll require my entire guild just to traverse it… That's why you don't want a Searon representative to go to Ramii" Francis stated, causing the Mayor to nod,

"Exactly." The Mayor replied. Then, instead of looking at anyone else, he turned to the fireplace, whose flames were beginning to grow weaker, "As for Yamato, after I see the representatives off, I'll need Amaya and Gracelyn to meet me at the Hallowed Box." He stated, then quickly added, "I can only assume that the Hallowed Box's containment has been breached. It's one of the only explanations on how something from Hell could become Hallowed." he added.

This last statement caused Amaya to narrow her eyes, "Don't tell me you're now blaming-" She started, then stopped, immediately falling silent, mostly due to the fact that the Mayor had just recently told everyone not to pin the blame on each other.

However, despite Amaya stopping herself, the Mayor sighed, "I don't blame the Hallowed Knights either. Perhaps this Lava Kraken is just something we've missed. Nevertheless, it would do good to at least check the Box for any breaches." He stated.

Then, he finally looked back at the other Guild Masters, trying to find a good way to continue. When he did, it simply came out in two individual words.

"Meeting adjourned."


	3. Chapter 3: Guild Members

**_Fort Harbinger, 4: 55 AM._**

Normally, the only way for people to get around Yamato's vast underground was to use the Elevator. But, the Guild Masters, due to the knowledge of potential emergencies, were given a special elevator only usable by them and the Mayor. This Elevator, nicknamed the "Hellevator", bought them to small, "Backdoors" to their respective guilds. But, this was mainly used by Necron himself, as a way to easily get down to the Hell Jumper's main base of operations.

Fort Harbinger.

Marking the furthest, safest point Yamato has ever dug, Fort Harbinger boasts the best engineering in the world for a defensive structure, from special trenches to a system made to get water down to the fort, and being the only functional military outpost operating in Hell. Being built at the size of about 1 full mile, Fort Harbinger is manned by a total of 25 men at all times, all from the Hell Jumpers and given some of the best equipment Yamato could give. The reason for this is because of the fact that, should the creatures residing in Hell ever break through, or sneak through the base, they would have a path straight into the heart of Yamato.

Thankfully, the Hell Jumpers had the manpower to hold the fort.

Now, the Hellevator made it's final stop for the day, slowly coming to a stop at the hardened stone flooring of Fort Harbinger. Then, it's passenger walked off, taking a quick look around the Fort from his standing place.

Taking a deep breath, Necron smiled, an act rare for him these days. Despite his job, and the cruel conditions Fort Harbinger faced, the Fort was like a home to him, much like the Hallowed Knight's base was a home to his sister. Then, he grimaced when he thought of the Hallowed Knights, then quickly pushed that thought away, getting to the task at hand.

"Cerise Loket!" He called out, taking a few steps away from the Hellevator and looking up at the walls.

In just a few seconds, a single form jumped off the wall, landing in front of him with practiced precision. Standing before Necron was a girl, or rather, woman, as Necron was repeatedly told by his sister, with messy, short, dark red hair with a much brighter red headband tied underneath, along with bright red eyes and a tanned complexion, and obvious side effect to the heat from Hell. Their outfit was the standard Hell jumper outfit, a set of leather armor with steel paddings that were painted red. However, the girl wore a small, dark red cape with it, that was pinned to her shoulders and fell to the backs of her knees.

Then, there was the last thing, the one thing that had nearly pierced the ground when she landed. A large sword, an EXTREMELY large sword, safely strapped to her back, with the handle rising above her head and the blade nearly reaching her feet. When she gave Necron a salute, the sword shifted along with her, "Reporting in sir!" Cerise Loket replied, in a much louder voice than Necron had used to call her over.

"Status report on the Fort?" Necron asked, watching as Loket lowered her hand,

"Nothing much sir. The creatures down here haven't been active as much recently." She answered, then tilted her head, giving a small smile, "Well, minus the Voodoo Demons. They've been getting restless, though they haven't been approaching the fort." She added.

For a few seconds, Necron stood there, completely silent. Then, he gave a small nod, "Good then, I assume that because they haven't dropped any of their dolls into the lava, we haven't had any… Unsavory visits." He said, getting another nod from Cerise. They were both around the last time a Hell Jumper allowed a Voodoo Demon to drop a doll into the lava near to the base. The result had nearly destroyed Fort Harbinger and, to an extent, Yamato.

Nearly.

Necron cleared his throat, getting back to his task at hand, "I want you to gather some basic supplies, just some food and water, along with your sword and armor." He began, watching as Cerise immediately straightened as he began to give her his orders, "In 10 minutes, you have temporary permission to use the Hellevator to reach the surface. You are to meet the Mayor at the Watchtower in less than 20 minutes, understood?" Necron finished, waiting for Cerise's response.

It took a few, silent seconds, but then Cerise smiled brightly, "Crystal clear sir!" She replied, then spun on her heel, already running off to prepare her supplies.

A meeting with the Mayor was not something to miss, after all.

 _ **Great Library.**_

As the nearest guild to the surface, the Great Library was the first stop for the other Guild Masters, which saw Gracelyn step off the elevator. The Great Library itself was… Well, grand. Carved into a large, circular cave, the Great Library takes up every inch of the cave, it's wooden walling reinforced by steel. On top of which, the Great Library has 8 floors, each one marked by a large wooden platform, and accessed by a 3 sets of wooden stairs. Each floor has small rest areas for people to read, as well as well over a thousand books resting on the shelves.

As a final note, this is where the Plantarian Acolytes do their guild work, or for civilians to simply research the history of the young human race. Many say Gracelyn herself knows every small detail in every book in the library. Which, obviously, wasn't true. There were about 200 books Gracelyn had to read, and about 50 she had to recreate.

"Miss Gracelyn!"

Turning to the sound, Gracelyn saw one of the Acolytes running up to her, a fairly tall man with dark grey hair, whom she recognized as Elric Winter

Eventually, Elric stopped a few feet in front of Gracelyn, holding out a fresh book, "Glad to see you have returned Guild Master, here is the copy of 'The History of Mar de Deus' you requested to be remade." Elric said without a pause, watching as Gracelyn took the book, flipping through the pages at a quick speed.

Even without reading closely, she could tell it was perfectly remade, "Thank you Elric, I'll place this where it belongs." Gracelyn replied, snapping the book shut, "Now that you've gotten that task done, I have another request for you." Gracelyn added, looking up to see Elric standing in attention, like he always did when she was about to give him a new task.

"This one's more simplistic, the first part at least. The Mayor has requested to see you at the Watchtower about 20 minutes." Gracelyn explained, "And you may want to gather up some travelling gear as well." she quickly added.

Elric response was quick, not hesitating for a second, "If the Mayor has requested to see me, then I'll be there by 10 minutes." He informed, turning around and walking away quickly, heading to gather up some basic needs.

After a few seconds of standing around, watching Elric walk off, Gracelyn picked up the Historical Book he had just given her, walking towards one of the many bookshelves to put it away.

49 more to go.

 _ **Desert Hunter Guild Hall**_

The Desert Hunter's base of operations was centered right underneath the Great Library, and, matching its choice of armor, was made from hardened sand. Everything was also in order, to the extent of being a copy of the Planterian Acolyte's level of order, and each hall held a different purpose, leading either to the Elevator, Guild Rooms, Armory, or Smithy.

Andrew Suna, however, spent a majority of time in the "Barn", as some outsiders would call it, tending to his companion, a large, black and yellow Scorpion named "Sabaku". The reason for this was because each and every Desert Guild member was given a newborn Scorpion to train and to raise, forming a bond between them and allowing them easy traveling over various terrains, mainly the Desert. At adult age, which normally came around at 5 years of age, the Scorpions were generally man sized.

Andrew and Sabaku were partners, both of them special in their own ways. Andrew was crippled in one arm, the cause of a Guild Mission which caused a trap to spring, breaking his arm with a large rock, and Sabaku being a Aurum Scorpionis, a rare breed of Scorpions.

As it stood now, Andrew was busy unwrapping Sabaku's large pincer, giving a tired smile as Sabaku seemed to flinch as the white bandaging was removed, "Don't be a baby Sabaku, it's just a scratch, nothing to worry about." Andrew stated calmly, earning himself a still-worried cry from Sabaku. The scratch in general was a mere white line on it's large claw, "That trap really did do something though. You may have your first scar." Andrew noted, letting go of Sabaku's claw so the giant Scorpion could look at it's new scar.

"Andrew!"

Jumping to the sound, Andrew quickly turned around, with Sabaku turning it's attention to the voice, first growling protectively, and then letting out a cry of happiness.

Walking down the hallway, Amelio Haycock, the Guild Master, greeted Andrew with his general business look, whilst completely ignoring Sabaku (Much to the latter's annoyance), "The Mayor's requested to see you. He wants to you go to the Watchtower in 20 minutes, with some traveling gear. And bring your Scorpion." Amelio immediately ordered, not bothering to waste time with random chatter.

Andrew immediately looked at Sabaku, then back at Amelio, "Uh… Sir? I don't mean to sound like a jerk or anything, but me and Sabaku just returned from a recent exploration, and Sabaku and I need to re-" Andrew tried to explain, only to stop short when Amelio simply stared at him, "I mean, uh… I'll get right to it." Andrew corrected, hopping onto Sabaku's back while the latter began turning around, heading to Andrew's Guild Room before they headed to the surface.

After all, when both the Mayor and Amelio want you to go somewhere, you did NOT wait around.

 _ **Sala de gol**_

The Sala de gol, or the Empty Hall, as most would call it, was a long, rundown hallway that lead to the Hallowed Knights base. The hall itself was made of ancient stone and was cracked in multiple places, and was stationed as the last point for the Guild Masters on the Elevator, minus Fort Harbinger. But Amaya didn't really care, she had walked down this hallway hundreds of times and each time felt it suited the Hallowed Knights, being grand at one point in time, with hundreds of members protecting Yamato from any threats, and was the pride of the city.

Now, it's only fame was its massive history, and it's hundred members have quickly diminished to only 8, including her. Wait, 7, she lost one of them just two months ago.

As she walked towards the entrance to the Hallowed Knight's Guild Hall, she saw one of those 7 members standing in front of the door, giving her his trademark grin.

Jason Veilhert, the Hallowed Knight's residential flirter.

"Welcome back to the base Amaya." He greeted, taking a step to the side and putting his hand on the door's handle.

Even as she was walking towards him, Amaya was already thinking of a way to deal with him. Half the time she wanted to smash his face into the wall, though that would be messy and would ruin her reputation, and the other half wanted to drag him to Fort Harbinger and shove him face first into the lava.

Which would… Also be messy.

She would also be losing one of her best fighters, much to her annoyance.

"Jason Veilhert, I assume you've been waiting here ever since I've left, waiting for me?" Amaya replied, stopping short of the door while Jason step towards her. As expected, he was in his Hallowed Armor, though he had his helmet in his arm. With a surprisingly pale complexion, pitch black hair, and silver eyes, he was a fairly mismatched individual.

"Of course, it's a custom to have someone stand guard in case someone wishes to… See you, while you are gone." Jason answered, appearing to be on the verge to do his normal thing, the actions that gave him his title.

Amaya decided to cut him short, "The Mayor requested to see you as soon as possible. You don't really have the time to stand around and talk." Amaya informed, watching as Jason's face fell at the news.

"But… Er… Sir- Ma'am, apologies, surely he didn't mean at this hour, late at ni-" Jason tried to say, only to once again get cut off as Amaya stepped past him,

"He wants you. As soon as possible. And as your higher in command, I say that means you go now. Immediately." She replied calmly, not bothering to look him in the eye, "So, I suggest you get going." Amaya added, opening the door to the Hallowed Knight's base and then quickly closing it behind her, and leaving Jason in the Empty Hall, alone.

Sighing, Jason turned around, patting the sword on his side while placing his helmet on, "Another day, another cold shoulder." He muttered, walking down the hallway. Whatever the Mayor had in mind, it better be important enough to prevent him from even getting a bite to eat.

 **Author's note: I apologize for the long wait time. I somehow get writer's block often and spend a lot of time just staring off into whatever alternate realm I happen to find myself in. Nevertheless, I resolve to try and fix my problem and get back to writing, so hopefully chapter 4 won't take a full month to come out.**

 **Hopefully the story's turning out well though in the eyes of whoever happens to be reading.**


	4. An update (October 14th)

I really needed to get this out sooner.

Well, hi, I'm GodofGamingRWBY, author of the Hallowed Year, a fanfic that... Well, has been out of the stream, as one might say. I haven't forgotten about this little story I've started, hardly, but I realize that I haven't gotten up another chapter in a long while.

Well, I blame the fact that I just have had no... What's the word... Idea how to write the next chapter. At all. I know WHAT I want to write, but I can't seem to write it. There's also the addition of school, broken computer, and other nasty things, and I've found my time to actually, well, WRITE a bit cut short.

Though, I've been trying my hardest recently to get my creative juices going. Sadly, I don't believe it'll happen anytime in the near future. Maybe. Perhaps I might get it done on Halloween, maybe even during NaNoWriMo. I'm not sure.

Though I do know I've won the award of worst Author in history.

With saddened words and a self injured face:

GodofGamingRWBY.


	5. Chapter 4: Mission briefing

If there was one thing that the Mayor liked, it was the Watchtower that stood right on top of it's home. The Watchtower stood far above any building in the explored world, towering above the landscapes to do it's prime duty. Act as the protector of Yamato by offering massive view over the surrounding lands, and act as a beacon to travelers searching for a safe haven. This task of watching over everyone was conducted by a single man, known as the "Watchman".

If there was one thing the Mayor was known for, it was not his naming capabilities.

However, what made the Watchtower stand out was not its massive height, or it's stable wooden structure. It was the base, made of glowing blue rocks that made of what has been categorized as "Stardust", due to their resemblance to having twinkling stars on them. A full 5 feet of the base of Watchtower was covered by these rocks, which glowed bright enough to send the immediate surrounding area to appear like it was still daylight. It was one of the Mayor's favorite spots in Yamato, one where he enjoyed to relax. Of course, with the recent Zombie attacks rendering the outer walls completely useless for now, the Stardust stones that made up the base were a bit scratched thanks to careless undead. Still, they shone on with their bright light, not even bothered by their slight scratches.

However, today, the Mayor was the exact opposite of relaxed, as the Watchman, called Walmond by most people, noted. It didn't seem like he was going to start getting cozy either, judging by how he was pacing back and forth around the illuminated grass.

Walmond himself was… Strange, in comparison to the Mayor's appearance. Where the Mayor was well dressed, rather thin, and clean shaven, Walmond was nearly the exact opposite. Wearing ragged armor with chipped blue paint, Walmond had the structure of a very large man. Not by any fat means, but my sheer muscle.

"So… How long are ya gonna keep walking over there Mr. Mayor?" Walmond asked, his voice low and growly. He was sitting next to the Watchtower's entrance, a beautifully crafted door. Another thing Walmond noted that the Mayor loved to do, make everything as nice looking as possible.

Still, Walmond's voice seemed to snap the Mayor back to reality, causing him to stop walking and turn to Walmond, shaking his head, "God, I need people to stop calling me just 'Mayor'" he muttered, loud enough for Walmond to hear.

That statement made Walmond smirk, "Alright, how 'bout I call ya… Mr. Mircea?" Walmond asked, using the Mayor's first name.

For a few seconds, the Mayor said nothing. Then he said with a sigh, "Nevermind. Mayor is good". After that, he looked out into the dark hills, "... Rather silent tonight. I don't see any zombies around." he stated out of nowhere.

In response, Walmond pointing in a seemingly random direction, "Nah, they're moving out there. Just not much. There's one way out there, shuffling it's rotten hide in the opposite direction." He said, causing the Mayor to follow his finger.

He still saw nothing.

The Mayor sighed, turning back to Walmond, "... Anyway, I need to request a favor from you." he stated, watching as Walmond immediately perked up.

"Favor? From you? Jeez you're full of surprises today." Walmond replied, then sighed, standing up from his resting spot, "I guess you want me to go somewhere?" he asked, seeing the small nod from the Mayor in answer, "Well, why? I'm the best person for this task of watching the hills, and without me the city's security from all those wandering monsters lowers pretty well." Walmond stated, once again getting a nod from the Mayor in response.

"I know." The Mayor replied, looking out into the darkness, "But as of now I require someone to go out and assist with a… Problem. I can't get the other Guild Masters to do it, they already have their hands full. No, it has to be you Walmond." The Mayor explained, turning back to Walmond,

In response, Walmond growled lowly, "Well, I'm not leaving this Tower, especially not for a favor." Walmond said.

The Mayor opened his mouth to respond, then his gaze shifted to the city, "Ah, it seems they're here." he said, visibly relaxing.

Walmond, on the other hand, looked confused, his anger rather quickly evaporating, turning to see where the Mayor was looking, and seeing a single light coming towards them, and five silhouettes.

…

If there was one thing Cerise didn't like, it was shameless flirts... Among many other things. When she first saw the man named Jason Veilhert, she had a good impression. He was fully uniformed, with a strange air of confidence. Even though the Hell Jumpers and the Hallowed Knights never got along, she had felt that she could at least work with this Jason.

That was, of course, before he revealed his true colors at the sight of her. All that came afterwards was rather thinly veiled flirts, and the two other people named Andrew and Elric (three if you counted Andrew's pet scorpion) didn't even seem to mind it. In fact, Andrew seemed to find it hilarious.

She didn't, and so far had made a total of three threats to throw Jason in a lava pool.

Still, Cerise was extremely thankful that the Mayor had chosen to wait for them by the Watchtower, instead of arriving a bit later and forcing her to continue to bear with Jason's tomfoolery. In fact, she literally sighed of relief when she saw the Mayor's form in the Watchtower's light, along with the person she assumed was the Watcher.

Seems that even the person in charge of what seemed like the entire world still had naming problems.

But, Cerise still felt the sudden shift of moods in everyone around her just from the sight of the Mayor. Elric suddenly tensed, Andrew sat up straight in his rider's seat, his scorpion even silencing it's eternal clicking sound, and Jason shut up, finally.

Then the Mayor and Watcher both turned towards the group.

"Thank you all for coming. No need for introductions, we all know each other, so I'll get straight to the point here." The Mayor said, immediately getting straight to business, which actually surprised Cerise. She worked for Necron, who seemed to make a it a personal goal to make any meeting as dramatic as possible, and she thought the Mayor would be the same.

Turns out she was wrong.

Without waiting for the four to respond, the Mayor continued, "Recently, I've- We've, received several reports from both Ramii and Mar de Deus. Both said the same thing, more or less. Internal struggles within both colonies that required my presence. Obviously, I can't be in both places at one, and with the sea being so… Well, restless, I can't sail over there. So, I've decided to send two teams out. The first is a group heading towards Mar de Deus, the second, is you five." the Mayor said, waving his hand to indicate all four of those he had summoned, including Sabaku, "Your five will head off to Ramii in my stead. Your task is to solve whatever problem is going on there. If you find anything completely out of place, do not hesitate to report to me. By letter, hopefully." the Mayor stated.

Then, as if remembering something, the Mayor added one final thing, "Walmond will be going with you, to act as a bearer of my authority. His status as Watchman will be enough to convince any politician that I'm doing the best I can." the Mayor finished with a tone of finality.

Walmond however, was not making it final.

"Excuse me?!" Walmond exclaimed, jumping to an alert stance, "Repeat that Mr. Mayor?!" He asked, meeting the Mayor's cold gaze, as if the latter had known this would happen,

"I said, you will go with the group to act as a bearer of my authority, to make sure that-"

"Are you friggin' insane?!" Walmond yelled, stepping forward, "I'm the first line of defense this entire city has! Without me a zombie invasion could fall upon the city in the blink of an-"

"Think about the wording before you try to one up me Walmond. The words you chose stated the first line of defense. What about the second line of defense? Or the third?" The Mayor asked, then continued before Walmond could retort, "I know you hate leaving your post, but trust me on this. It is for the best. This isn't a favor anymore Walmond, it's an order." The Mayor said, staring into Walmond's fiery gaze with his opposite cold eyes.

For a few seconds, neither moved. Then Walmond sighed, "Fine, you win. I'll go with them." He muttered, "Let me get my stuff". With that, Walmond spun around, storming into the Watchtower and slamming the door behind him, muffled, angry shouts suddenly erupting from behind the doors.

The group of guild members, with Sabaku, merely watched the scene, going back and forth while the Mayor and Walmond argued. However, once Walmond stormed into the Watchtower, Elric stepped forward, even before the Mayor could turn to the group.

"If I may, Mayor, but why not go to Ramii yourself? Why take all these steps to both send someone to help and keep yourself here?" Elric asked, his voice calm and even, mirroring the Mayor's own normal tone of voice.

In response, the Mayor sighed, "It would be best if I didn't tell you everything in detail, but know that there is something that I need to investigate here that I fear will keep me from assisting either colony for a long while." the Mayor replied.

It was at this time that Jason decided to ask his own question, "Another thing. Why send regular Guild Members, especially ones from the Hallowed Knights and Hell Jumpers? We have a reputation of being close rivals." Jason asked, though Cerise (and literally everyone else besides the Mayor) knew that he wasn't bothered by being near Cerise at all, regardless of which Guild she was a part of, "And furthermore, why not send one of the other Guild Masters? They could do the job much finer than any of u-"

"The reason I chose to send "regular" Guild Members is because I require the presence of the other Guild Masters. And to note, you are all not just normal, you're the best that each Guild can afford." The Mayor interrupted, "... I'm also surprised that you would voice a question about sending a Hallowed Knight and Hell Jumper, especially considering YOUR reputation, Jason." The Mayor added, watching as Jason instantly closed his mouth with a visible frown, "Now anymore questions?" The Mayor asked, his eyes scanning over the group.

Andrew raised his hand, the other gripping Sabaku's reins, "Yeah, I have o-"

Suddenly, the doors to the Watchtower flew open, with Walmond, once again, storming out, a rather large, light blue bow strapped around him, with a pack of arrows hanging from his hip and a large pack slung over his shoulder, "Save your questions for the road. Mayor's busy." Walmond said bluntly, storming past the Mayor without a glance.

Without a flinch, the Mayor spoke once again, "To answer your unspoken question, it'll take about 3 days to reach Ramii, if you hurry. You'll all be compensated and rewarded when you return. Now I believe you should follow Walmond… He's likely not going to wait long for all of you." The Mayor stated, stepping to the side to give the group space to move past.

It only took a few seconds for the group to get moving, each of them giving the Mayor a goodbye and both Andrew and Cerise giving him a good luck to whatever investigation (And Sabaku, if it's gleeful chitters were any indication). The Mayor, in turn, watched the group struggle to catch up to Walmond, who was already climbing a second large hill. On the horizon, the sun finally began to rise, shedding light upon a day that, for those in the Mayor's little circle, had been nothing but stressful.

With a sigh, the Mayor turned from the new light, walking back towards the city.

It was time to confirm something.

 _Author's note_

 _I'm back. That is all for this note._


	6. Chapter 5: The Hallowed Box

**Sala de gol**

The hall to the Hallowed Knight's base wasn't one that was traveled much, but the Mayor was one who rarely traveled down this hall, even when compared to others. Two figures walked down the hall together, side by side. The Mayor, in his normal attire, only with a very large sword strapped to his back, the blade being made of some black metal, and it's red handle jutting out over his shoulder, a sword the Mayor called "Blood Butcherer". Next to him was the Guild Master of the Hallowed Knights, Amaya, also wearing her normal attire, along with her weapon of choice, the Death Sickle.

As the two walked, it was clear that the two were discussing the recent events that had transpired in less than 12 hours.

"I'm telling you, there shouldn't be any breaches in the Box's security. I check it twice a day, and there hasn't been anything wrong with it. My next inspection was supposed to be in an hour." Amaya stated, looking slightly annoyed that the Mayor was insisting on inspecting the Box, "The only way someone would be able to get anything out of that without us knowing is if they could teleport." She added.

In response, the Mayor slightly turned his head to face the Guild Master, "... You do remember that it is possible for one to teleport-" The Mayor began, causing Amaya to cut him off sharply,

"I do remember, and if YOU remember, you're the only one with that staff. So unless you're admitting to bringing some of the Hallowed out, my point still stands." Amaya answered. A second after that, Amaya witnessed the Mayor frown. It wasn't often that the Mayor showed emotion on his face, but it was clear that her response hit something, "... Lets just get this over with." She said as the two reached the door to the Hallowed Knight's base, pushing it open and letting the Mayor enter first, which he did rather swiftly.

Inside, there wasn't much that looked "fancy". The room they had entered had very sparse decorations, which were mainly old chairs, and only three doors. Two of which were simply the dormary and the armory, and those two were off to the side.

Straight ahead though was a fully iron door, with two steel bars resting in front of it to, well, keep it shut. Two guards, fully armored with the Hallowed Knight's colors, stood by either side.

This was the door to the Hallowed Box.

Without waiting a beat, the Mayor walked up to the door, forcing Amaya to pick up her pace to catch up. When the two guards looked at Amaya for confirmation, she sighed and nodded, which led both guards to nod in return, then step towards the door and remove the two bars, one at a time.

While they did this, the Mayor halted, letting Amaya catch up to him and stand by his side, watching the two guards move the two bars, slightly struggling under the weights. After a few minutes though, the two guards managed to remove both of the bars and place them to the side. However, they never managed to move to open the doors, as the Mayor did that himself, stepping forward and using both hands to open said door.

In the attempt of doing so, Amaya (and the guards) could see the Mayor's right hand, the one that he kept hidden almost all the time… Though, all they could see of it was just a thickly armored hand, making it appear nearly twice as large as his left.

The Hallowed Box's door, one that was designed to be opened by two men, swung open with barely a struggle, revealing…

… A completely empty room, roughly the size of a regular room. Granted, most rooms weren't made of pure obsidian, but there was nothing in the room. No decorations, no life, nothing.

At this sight, Amaya pushed past the Mayor, her head whipping around to take the sight in, "Wha-What?!" She yelled, stepping further into the room, "How- This… How is it all-"

"Gone?" The Mayor finished, walking after Amaya, "I don't know how, but this merely confirms my suspicion" he added, looking around as well, until his gaze stopped at one of the side walls, "... But THAT could explain it" he stated, causing Amaya to follow his gaze to where he was looking. When she did, her face fell.

Right in the side of the wall was a gaping hole, filled with a swallowing darkness. It wasn't big enough to be noticed at first glance, but it was big enough to be noticed eventually… And was big enough to allow something to pass through.

Suddenly, Amaya's posture returned, and the Guild Master stood straight and turned to the two Knights who had just came in to see what was going on, "You two, alert the Guild. We have a security breach." Amaya stated, getting two nods from the Knights before they turned and ran out. They had never thought it would ever happen, but Amaya made sure to drill a potential breach of the Hallowed Box with the rest of the guild. The entire guild knew just what to do in this situation. Now those drills were going to pay off.

Once the two guards were gone, the Mayor spoke, having never taken his eyes off the hole, "... Well, shall we then?" he said, gesturing to the hole with his armored hand when Amaya turned to look at him.

For a second, Amaya didn't speak. All she did was turn her own gaze to the hole. Then she nodded, "Let's" She replied, stepping towards the hole in the wall, her hand already reaching for her scythe and drawing it out. The Mayor, on the other hand, waited a few seconds after Amaya began walking, then followed himself.

Then they stepped into the hole, the darkness swallowing the two completely.

 **Author's note: Yeah, not my best chapter. I've just felt only the slightest bit rushed and thought I needed to get this out, so here it is.**

 **... So the thing you've all (probably) waited for is finally out. Now the real stuff can finally begin.**

 **Next chapter is going to be longer and better, trust me. Just remember that I now have another story I'm working on with this... So that's... Something...**

 **Yeah.**

 **With apologies for the long wait:**

 **GodofGamingRWBY.**


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